The best fantasy novels with complex female leads

Finding The Saltwater Heir and falling in love with its female lead, Princess Soren—who balances softness and strength in equal measure—was something that got me out of a reading slump of many years and changed the way I view female-led fantasy as a whole. Soren is steel and roses; she is a fun-loving, fierce gremlin of a girl who spoke to the wildness that lives in my heart. Her sass and wit were only outmatched by her willingness to lay down her life for those she loved most. That fierce attachment to her family and friends was something I had been missing in a lot of recent fantasy reads, and it endeared me to her from the moment I began reading! I also adored how she played off of the rest of the cast, particularly her siblings and best friend. Her complexity made the whole book absolutely un-put-down-able! 

Though lead character Katsa might be considered a more conventional tough female character, her story was one that gripped me as a young teenager and has stuck with me for all the years since. Katsa is a woman of great wiles stuck in an impossible place, striving for what often seems like an impossible goal; and the way she fiercely protects and loves what is hers to defend has made her one of the most memorable female fantasy heroines I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading about!

Female lead Keira Branwen is one of the most beautifully flawed female fantasy leads I’ve ever read! I was hooked right from the start by the fact that a great deal of the plot is precipitated by Keira’s understanding of certain events…an understanding that may not even be true. Her struggle to come to grips with the fact that she’s lived a lie for so many years, and how she deals with the fallout of numerous shifts in her perception of the world, was encouraging, inspiring, and riveting. This book made me appreciate the feminine spirit and the small victories that make up who we are.

Serilda was such a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre landscape! I can’t think of a single female lead who quite feels like her. From the rich lore that surrounds her origins, to her vivid imagination, storytelling prowess, and the way she sees the world, Serilda became an instant favorite for me. Her nurturing love of the children in her care and her father are so perfectly at odds with the call to intrigue and adventure that makes up the other, more mischievous half of who she is. Watching the tug of war between these two halves of Serilda’s heart made this thick book absolutely fly by.

There is actually quite the cast of fantastic female leads in this multi-POV fantasy series! Clare, Serene, and Mia are just a few of the wonderful women who make up this cast. From decoys in training to rebellious princesses to captives with more to them than meets the eye, each female perspective in this book adds a new, profound layer against a backdrop of rich worldbuilding. No two women feel the same, and the insight brought on by each immersed me deeper into an ever-expanding, ever-enriching world. This was an instant favorite of mine from Clare’s very first chapter, and it only gets better with each subsequent one!